Safety device for overhead electric lines.



I'. P. BOURDIL. SAFETY DEVICE EOE OVERHEAD ELEGTRIC LINES.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 21, 1910.

1,094,699. y Patented Apr. 28; 1914.

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SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1910.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

4 BHEETS-SHEET 2 W/TNESSES.'

. F. F. BOURDIL.

SAFETY DEVICE ECE OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES.

' APPLICATION PLED DEC. 21, 1910.

1,094,699. Patented Apr. 2s, 1914.

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coLUMBlA PLANoaRAPM Co-l WASHINGTON. D. c.

I'. I. BOURDIL.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 21, 1910.

1,094,699. Patented Apr. 28,1914.

9 x 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

@MTE SATES PATEN @FICE FRANCOIS FEBNAND BOUBDII., OF PAR-IS, FRANCE,ASS-IGNOR TO SOCIT ANONYME APICEA, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LINES.

Loeaeae.

To @ZZ lw/iom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANCOIS FnnNANDBonnniL, of 29 Rue Octave Feuillet, in the city of Faris, Republic ofFrance, engineer, have invented Improvements in Safety Devices forverhead Electric Lines, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

Various types of automatic safety devices for high tension overheadelectric lines have been devised with the object ot rendering the end ofthe wire harmless if a conducting wire should break. Broadly speakingthese various types of device comprise a movable member to which theconducting wire is attached; normally this movable member is subjectedon either side to the tensions exerted by the length of this conductorin iront of and behind it respectively; in case one of these lengthsshould break it is displaced under the influence of the tension exertedby the unbroken length and either earths this conductor or shortcircuits it with an adjacent conductor.

The present invention has for its object a special means for attachingthe conducting wire to these types of safety device, said means beingdevised in such a manner as to enable these devices if the line wireshould break to actvery rapidly in both directions while on the otherhand normally insuring the iixity ot the line. This improved means isbroadly characterized by the fact that the movable member presents twopoints of attachment for the line wire situated on either side of itsaxis of rotation and thateach ot the lengths of the conducting wire init'ront and behind the device is connected by the intermediary of aspecial system of connection with the point of attachment located beyondthe axis of rotation.

The improved device 'forming the object of the invention is illustratedby way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figures 1 and 2 show in elevation and in plan an embodiment or' theinvention in which the safety device is displaced in a horizontal plane.Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. a is a plan view oi the device with oneof the lengths of conducting wire broken. Fig. 5 is a modification of myinvention, the view being part section and part plan. Figs. (3 and 'i'represent in elevation and in plan Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led December 2l, 1910.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

serial No. 598,650.

another application in which the device moves in a vertical plane. Fig.8 is an elevation of this device with one ot the lengths of line broken.Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate a moditicatio-n in elevation and in plan.Figs. 11 and 12 show another modiiication in elevation and in plan.Figs. 13 and 14 are two detail views showing two methods of mounting theconnecting arms.

In the device represented in Figs. 1 to i the insulator a which is fixedto a vertical rod Z) carried by a pole or other suitable support able topivot freely in its support c is provided with a collar CZ presenting anarm e which carries a rod f, the two ends of which are equidistant fromthis arm e; this rod which is thus able to rotate at the same time asthe insulator a is normally parallel with the line. At its ends this rodf presents two small horizontal branches g, la, upon which the line wirei is able to rest and two small vertical arms y', c respectivelyconstitute the axes of rotation of two connecting rods Z, m; these tworods intersect as shown in Fig. Q in such a manner that the rod Zpivoting on the right hand end of the rod f may be xed at its freeextremity to the left hand length of the conducting wire e' and that therod m pivoting on the left hand en d Zc of the rod f may be fixed at itsfree end to the right hand length of said conducting wire z'. By thismeans the left hand length of the line wire is connected by the rod Z tothe right hand end extremity of the rod f and the right hand length ofthis line wire is connected by the rod m with the lett hand end of thisrod j".

rlhe line wire is fixed at the tree end of each of the rods Z, 'm`either by binding o-r by means of a collar or flange or by soldering orin Vany other convenient manner.

The connecting` rods may be replaced by cables, chains, wires or anyother connection capable of pivoting at the ends j, Ze of the rod f.

The vertical rod of the insulator comprises a horizontal arm n at theend of which a vertical rod 0 is mounted; this rod may either beextended suiiiciently to establish a connection with the adjacent linewhen the apparatus rotates upon the breaking of a wire as hereinafterexplained or it may end in a cross piece o straight or curved at theends of which two rods or beams g r rota- Looeeee table around theirpivots s mounted on either side oit the rod o.

lorm-ally the horizontal rod f is parallel with the line and the deviceas a whole maintained at rest by the tension exerted by xach o'l5 thetwo lengths ot the line wire i; further any angular displacement of therod f in its horizontal plane is prevented caving to the fact that thevertical arms y' bear l@ aga inst this line wire. llI one of the lengthsoli' the line wire? the lett hand length for example should break thetensions no longer balance each other, the unbroken right hand lengthexerts traction upon the lett hand end ot the rod t and causes theinsulator fr to rotate about itselt in the direction indi cated by thearrow in Fig. lg the insulator carries with it the arm n and the beam f/bears against the lines to be connected; owing to the pivot s the beamg' can incline, andt consequently, when the pivoting movement ot theinsulator has taken place, said beam can bear at the same time against:two superposed line wires, as illust-rated in Fig. 8, whether theselines are or are not in the same plane. lili, on the other hand, theright hand length of the line wire should break the device is drawn inthe opposite direction by the unbroken lett hand length and the beam rtuen makes the connections.

lt should be noted that this device is equally applicable when the axisor' the insulator is horizontal; in this case the rod j' moves in avertical plane.

Fig. 5 represents the application of the device in a case where theinsulator instead ot' pivoting about its vaxis is carried by an arm opivoted to a support c iiXed to the pole.

Figs, G! to S illustrate another application of the present device wherethe insulator is tired. in this application the insulator u is providedwith a collar Z surmounted by a Jr'ork fl; a pivot e is able to rotatein this fork and carries a rod constituting a beam capable oitdisplacement in its vertical plane. it its ends this rod f presents twosmall horizontal branches 7c upon which the line wire a' rests; thesebranches iorm the pivots ol the two rods Z m. its shown in Fig. 7 thefree end of these rods is connected with the line wire as previouslystated in such a manner that the right hand length ot the wire isconnected with the lett hand end of the rod f, while the lett handlength is connected with the right hand ond oit the rod. Upon the pivotc there is fixed a lever t irrying a branch u at each of its ends; thesebranches are kept horizontal and are intended, it the wire i shouldbreak,

to establish a connection between this wire and an adjacent parallelline fe". Each branch is preferably mounted in such a manner that it isable to yield in one direction of rotation oit the rod f so that it inthe displacement of the lever one oi these branches encoiiinters theline wire it cannot impede the operation of the apparatus.

The connecting branches u are mounted as shown in Fig. i3 or llig. lllaccording as they are arrang l above or below the line wire. ln the caserepresented in F ig. 13 the branch u is able to yield in the downwardmovement and resume its normal position under the in'tluence ot gravitywhile in the case illustrated in Fig. lll the branch u is able to yieldin the upward movement and resume its normal position under theinfluence ot the counter-weight u. rlhese connecting branches u mightequally well be mounted upon extensions of the rod or beam f.

ln the position oit repose the rod or beam f' remains horizontal underthe influence oit substantially equal tractional etllorts exerted on theends j by the two lengths of line wire and the line is not exposed toany harmful displacement.

It one ot the lengths ot line wire should break, the lett hand lengthfor example7 the rod or beam f at once pivots in the direction indicatedby the arrow in ll1 ig. 8 under the influence of the weight ot theunbroken length upon its right hand end j and ot the traction exerted bythis length upon its lett hand end 7.2,' the lever t participates inthis movement and one of the branches u carried by the latter encountersthe conducting wire of the adjacent line and thus establishes connectionbetween the broken line and the adjacent line.

rlhe rod or beam f instead of being located above the insulator might bemounted in liront as shown in Figs. 9 and l0. rlliis rod or beam mightlikewise be replaced by two levers f/ f2 rotatable about pivots e e2respectively carried by a collar (l iiXed to the insulator a as shown inFigs. ll and l2; these levers are arranged in such a manner as to pivotin rising above their normal position but they cannot descend below thisposition.

ln the various types oli device described above the connecting rodsinstead of acting upon an adjacent line might make contact with someconvenient vform of earthing de vice.

ln all these various devices the safety means by reason of its specialmethod ot connection with the conductor becomes operativeinstantaneously when the line wire breaks and is able to act in bothdirections while normally insuring iii-:ity of lthe line.

Claims:

1. A safety device for an electric conductor comprising insulatedcentrally pivoted md oppositely directed branches adjacent o saidconductor, two connections crossing each other and respectively oiningthe outer end ot each branch to a point of the conductor opposite theother branch, and electrical connecting means joined to said branches soas to move therewith for the purpose described.

if. A safety device for an electric conductor comprising insulatedcentrally pivoted and oppositely directed branches adjacent to saidconductor, two connections crossing each other and respectively joiningthe outer end of each branch to a point of the conductor opposite theother branch, horizontally projecting` branches attached to saidrst-named branches, and electrical connecting means joined to saidhorizontal branches so as to move therewith for the purpose described.

3. A safety device for an electric conductor comprising insulatedcentrally pivoted and oppositely directed branches adjacent to saidconductor, two connections crossing each other and respectively joiningthe outer end of each branch to a point of the conductor opposite theother branch, horizontal projections at the outer ends of said branchesfor serving as supports for the line wire, vertical projections at theouter ends of said branches for abutting against the line wire andnormally preventing any angular displacement of the device as well asany longitudinal displacement of the line wire, and electricalconnecting means joined to the branches so as to move therewith.

The foregoing specification of my improvements in safety devices foroverhead electric lines signed by me this ninth day of December 1910.

FRANCOIS IERNAND BOURDIL.

Witnesses:

DEAN B. MASON, R. EHIRIOT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, '.D. C.

